french pharmacy haul in paris

(Paris, France).  As an avid viewer of beauty youtube videos, I knew that I would have to pick up some skincare and makeup bits in Paris.  There are many French brands that are either more expensive in or not available in the U.S.  I did do some research prior to my trip so I had an idea of exactly what I wanted to pick up.  I also researched pharmacies - the most famous being Pharmacie City-Pharma in the St. Germain area but by all accounts, it's very crowded.  In actuality, there are pharmacies everywhere in Paris (just look for the green cross signs) and if you have time, do some price comparisons and you'll notice that they do vary greatly.  Not every pharmacy carries all the brands you may be looking for so you may have to go to more than one.

I've heard the pricing at City-Pharma is quite good which is why it's so well-known, but I noticed that the small Pharmacie T-LeClerc near the Hotel de Seze had really good pricing compared to the pharmacies in the Montmartre area where I ended up shopping.  If you are truly pressed for time and can't do price comparisons, then I'd recommend going to City-Pharma which has a large selection and good pricing or the one in the Galeries Lafayette which also has a large selection.  But remember there is also a pharmacy located in the airport.

So what did I end up getting?


Due to the way our trip was organized, I wasn't able to do any pharmacy shopping until the Montmartre part of our trip.  The first pharmacy I went to right on the Rue de Abbesses was totally overpriced.  (The Pharmacie T-LeClerc near the Madeline Plaza had a 2-pack of Bioderma for 16.90 euros; but here the same 2-pack was on sale for 29 euros. eek!)  I meandered around and found other pharmacies which were significantly cheaper (but they didn't speak much English but it didn't matter to me since I knew what I wanted).

At the first pharmacy, I got:

• a 2-pack of Bioderma for 19.90 euros, and a mini travel Bioderma.  Bioderma is micellar water and is a great 1st step in face cleansing - it's totally gentle and removes makeup!
• a Nuxe lip balm for 9.40 euros (in the U.S. it is about $25 on amazon).  Very thick and nourishing balm.  I like to use it at night before I go to sleep.
• a 2-pack Vichy deodorant - this was a whim purchase.  I normally don't even use deodorant but it was so hot in Paris I thought I'd try it and much to my surprise, I really like it!
• La Roche Posay Tolerane Zerozinc (?) - I've heard about this toner so much but it's not available in the U.S. so I'm going to give it a go!
• La Roche Posay matte sunblock - I usually use Clinique or Shiseido but I've heard great things about these sunblocks.
• Avene spring water face spray - totally unnecessary purchase but so refreshing.

Then at a makeup store on the Rue de Abbesses, I picked up a Bourjois 12-hour blush and a sea green nail polish just for fun.  It's really hard to find Bourjois in the U.S. but I'm guessing it's the equivalent of a Loreal in the US.

Then at another pharmacy near a gallery called Carre D'Artistes, I picked up a Caudalie face spray and a fig perfume.  This was just slightly cheaper than in the U.S. but I've never been willing to shell out the cash for it in the U.S.

I can't wait to try all this stuff!  Let me know if there's anything you love from French pharmacies!